AGM 301 - Gazing-Dragon Mountain Rampart
As the sun rose, Shu Ruanyu could be seen sitting cross-legged, leaning against a wall in the cave dwelling. Her eyes were lightly shut as her arms clasped around her body protectively. Even as she rested, she was still in a state of vigilance.
Although Qin Wentian had undone the formation he placed on her yesterday, allowing her to absorb Astral Energy once more, she still suffered from some restrictions in the cave.
“Pitter, patter!” A crisp sound echoed in the dwelling. Shu Ruanyu opened her fatigue-filled eyes and to her surprise, she discovered that there was no one else in the cave dwelling right then.
“Mhm?” Shu Ruanyu instantly stood up. She stealthily approached the cave’s entrance and peered outside. Other than a foggy mist formed by the condensation of last night’s rain, there was no one else outside as well.
“Time to escape.” Shu Ruanyu let out a long sigh of relief. Finally, she didn’t have to worry about that d.a.m.nable fatty ever again. But then again, throughout her past few days of captivity, Qin Wentian did keep his word. Other than placing that formation on her, he hadn’t done anything else.
“Qin Wentian, I won’t forget this,” Shu Ruanyu icily commented. After speaking, her silhouette flickered as she rose up in the air.
Qin Wentian and his group had long departed since early this morning. As promised, he released Shu Ruanyu. Back then, because of his actions, Bailu Jing and Bailu Yi were implicated despite them having nothing to do with it. As long as Shu Ruanyu returned safe and sound, Yang Fan wouldn’t do anything to Bailu Jing and Bailu Yi. The White Deer Inst.i.tute could also be considered a major power in the Moon Continent, even though the scope of their combined forces couldn’t be compared to a transcendent power. The Star-Seizing Manor would definitely not go all out to start a war by allowing Yang Fan to kill the Bailu siblings.
Because of the need to maintain absolute secrecy of his whereabouts, Qin Wentian had to leave the mountain range they were in, lest Shu Ruanyu brought back reinforcements to capture him.
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Qiyun Country was right alongside the boundaries of the Azure Continent and was a country under the administration of the transcendent power—the Ouyang Aristocratic Clan.
The Ouyang Aristocratic Clan was a clan and not a sect, however, in order to expand even further, they were careful not to neglect the recruitment of fresh blood and new talents. Although the new recruits might not be of their bloodline, they would still do their best to nurture the chosen ones, thereby ensuring that their power wouldn’t wane.
There was also an extremely famous mountain named Gazing-Dragon Mountain outside the borders of Qiyun Country.
This mountain was renowned for the various innate techniques engraved on the stone walls, and anyone was free to study them for their own comprehension. It was rumoured that Qiyun’s past generations of Heavenly Dipper Sovereigns had spent their time and effort into engraving their comprehensions onto the mountain rampart, leaving this priceless treasure behind for the Stellar Martial Cultivators of Qiyun Country.
To a small country, stepping into the Heavenly Dipper Realm was already the pinnacle. If they didn’t wish to stagnate, they would surely roam the Grand Xia. But some of these Heavenly Dipper Sovereigns loved their countries dearly, which inspired them to leave something behind for future generations, resulting in the current popularity of the Gazing-Dragon Mountain.
In front of the rampart, there were many stone platforms layered in the region around. Every day, there would be several cultivators visiting the mountains, trying their best to gain comprehensions of the innate techniques depicted.
And right now at this moment, there was a young man with a herculean figure standing atop a stone platform, relentlessly brandis.h.i.+ng a huge axe. His movements did not have Astral Energy embedded within, yet the power behind them was strong enough to cause a ma.s.sive wind to kick up.
This herculean figure had skin the color of bronze, his entire frame was ripped with muscles and an explosive strength could be sensed within each of his movements. He didn’t look too old, around the age of 24 to 25, but even more interesting was that he’d been brandis.h.i.+ng that gigantic axe of his for a total of seven days and hadn’t stopped for a single moment. He also didn’t seem to be bothered by the spectators watching him.
“Feel the wind from his strikes, I wonder how heavy that Axe of his is?” Somebody among the spectators laughingly commented.
“I would venture a guess at around 500 jin, this person seems like a barbarian and has boundless brute force.” Another person replied.
“Why doesn’t he get fatigued despite the increasingly profoundness of that axe art he’s practicing? How strange.”
“Well, there are many bizarre people all around the world. Look over there, there’s even someone who’s just been sleeping the past few days.” One of the spectators pointed to a stone platform not far away from the herculean young man. There was a youth quietly lying there, sleeping in peace or so it seemed, in a world of his own where outside matters couldn’t reach him.
“Two idiots.”
Yesterday, in the midst of a raining thunderstorm, that herculean young man continued practicing with the axe while the other young man continued sleeping there. Their actions had no common-sense to them.
What was even more bizarre was that beside the sleeping young man, a snowy white puppy pranced around, its adorable appearance instantly drawing the attention of many.
“Little fellow, come here!” At this moment, a young lady with a fresh and pure countenance, called out to the adorable snowy puppy.
The little snowy puppy gave a bark that sounded of laughter, and momentarily leapt onto the bosom of the young lady, causing her to giggle in happiness as she stroked its fur and patted it on its head.
This little fellow appeared to be enjoying itself immensely, much to the irritation and jealousy of several others in the crowd.
“Your owner is too lazy, doesn’t he care if you’re hungry or not?” The young lady glanced at Qin Wentian as she commented. She had been interacting with Little Rascal for the past few days and often stopped by to hug the little fellow. But this fellow on the stone platform, had always been sleeping every time.
“Ye Xi, you’re here again.” From afar, a slightly plump figure walked over. The young lady glanced at this new comer as she smiled, “What are you doing here again?”
“Well, I’m the buddy of that little s.h.i.+thead’s owner.” Fan Le laughed. The young lady snorted, before looking at Little Rascal that was contently sitting on her bosom, “Is he really?”
“Little Rascal, come here!” Fatty called out to the snowy puppy only to see the snowy puppy confusedly staring back at him, appearing as though it had never seen Fan Le before. After a few moments, it acted bored and started snuggling its head into Ye Xi’s bosom once more.
“See? It doesn’t know you.” Ye Xi glared at Fan Le. Fan Le rolled his eyes, d.a.m.n that little lecherous wolf in puppy clothing.
Fan Le sat down with boredom, glancing at the sleeping young man before turning his gaze onto that herculean figure who was still wielding his axe. They had already arrived at the Qiyun country for a period of time, and Qin Wentian wished to make a breakthrough and up their power levels before they ventured into the Azure Continent.
And at this moment, Qin Wentian who was sleeping, suddenly sat up. The silhouette of Little Rascal instantly transformed into a white beam of light as it dashed towards the bosom of Qin Wentian. It let out a few delighted barks and kept trying to lick Qin Wentian on his face, indicating the closeness of the bond they shared.
“Boss, you finally woke up.” Fan Le’s eyes shone as he continued, “Boss, this lady is Ye Xi, a good friend of mine. She’s very familiar with Little Rascal, but that little s.h.i.+thead kept ignoring me in her presence, pretending that it didn’t know me. How maddening.”
“Hmm, who are you talking to?” Qin Wentian acted as if he didn’t know this fellow at all&h.e.l.lip; he glanced at Ye Xi while silently condemning Fatty with contempt in his heart.
This fatty, was the epitome of the concept, ‘universal love’.
“Nevermind, you just won.” Fan Le was totally speechless.
“Wow, how rare, that Sleeping G.o.d actually woke up,” somebody exclaimed in surprise.
“This fellow really has a talent for sleeping.”
“Sleeping G.o.d, are you here to sleep or to cultivate?”
“Sleeping G.o.d?” Qin Wentian grinned as he heard his t.i.tle. In fact, he hadn’t stopped cultivating for a single moment ever since he arrived here.
After that last battle back in the Moon Continent, the Astral Energy within his three Yuanfu had completely dried up, and in addition he’d been seriously injured. After he recovered, and absorbed enough Astral Energy to fill his Yuanfu again, to his pleasant surprise, he discovered that his Yuanfu receptacles had actually expanded in size—he had actually made a breakthrough to the fifth-level of Yuanfu.
“Fatty, this rampart is truly fascinating, you should meditate on it if you have the time.” Qin Wentian tried to persuade Fatty into working harder.
“Don’t worry boss, with my good brains I can easily understand the comprehensions and innate techniques engraved upon it. Look at Big Bro Mang, if even he could understand, it’ll be a snap for a great genius like me.”
Qin Wentian turned his gaze onto Chu Mang, the movements of his axe seemed extremely ordinary and without fanfare, yet upon closer observation, they contained within them a marvellous intricacy, moving in a strange trajectory.
“It’s that technique?!” Qin Wentian’s eyes brightened. There was a set of exceedingly profound axe-type innate techniques depicted on the mountain rampart. The ill.u.s.trated strikes appeared extremely chaotic, yet learning the technique allowed one to circulate the qi in one’s body in a certain direction. This was in accordance to the movements of the axe techniques, achieving the realm of uniting qi and innate technique as one.
“Is he a friend of you guys as well?” Ye Xi wondered, as Qin Wentian nodded his head.
“A bunch of weirdos.” Ye Xi smiled with no hints of rudeness, while some of the spectators also laughed along, “Hey Sleeping G.o.d, are you bragging? Telling others to meditate on the depictions while you snore, you mean you’re studying all these marvellous techniques in your sleep?”
Qin Wentian glanced at the crowd, the majority of people here were at the Yuanfu Realm. Occasionally, there would be some cultivators at the Arterial Circulation Realm as well.
Laughing nonchalantly, Qin Wentian didn’t deign to give an explanation and continued cultivating quietly.
In the blink of an eye, winter came. The chill of winter’s frosty wind, as well as the blanket of snow, caused the number of visitors to the Gazing-Dragon Mountain to lessen.
Amidst the drifting snow, Qin Wentian stretched out his hands, watching as a snowflake landed on his palm. He inclined his head and gazed in the direction of the Moon Continent.
Another year had pa.s.sed, was Qingcheng still doing fine in the Pill Emperor Hall?
His father, Qin Chuan, Sister Qin Yao, Teacher Mustang, Senior Luo Huan, were all still in Chu. He wondered if they were doing fine as well.
He missed them all, he was already nineteen. Although these three years had pa.s.sed by in a flash, he had experienced too much, way too much.
“Hey the weather is cold, you should eat these pastries I’ve brought to warm yourselves up, they’re piping hot.” At this moment, a young lady carrying a basket walked over. Inside the basket were goodies of all kinds, and when she saw the expressions of wistful longing in his eye, she gently smiled, “Brother Wentian, are you thinking of the girl you love?”
Glancing at the young lady’s guileless smile, Qin Wentian stretched out his hands and tousled her hair. Due to their daily interactions during this period of time, he was already very familiar with Ye Xi.
“Wow, what’s this delicious thing I smell.” Fatty sidled upwards, grinning as he grabbed a few steaming buns from the basket and started wolfing them down. Although Stellar Martial Cultivators had no need to consume food, it still felt good to satisfy their desire to eat.
The three of them sat down on the stone platform, laughing and joking about, painting an extremely harmonious scene.
And right at this moment, a white beam of light flashed past. Turning their gazes in the direction of the beam, they only saw Chu Mang brandis.h.i.+ng his gigantic axe as the snowflakes surrounding him were controlled by his qi flow, gathering together to form a snow dragon flew through the air, all in accordance to the intricate dance Chu Mang was moving in.
“How beautiful.” Ye Xi’s own gorgeous eyes flickered.
Qin Wentian’s eyes also lit up as a smile appeared on his face. Chu Mang had broken through!
“Excellent!” Qin Wentian laughed—currently their respective levels of power had all taken a step forwards!